Awiator research moves ahead with delivery of large winglets
Awiator research moves ahead with delivery of large winglets
Meeting a tight delivery schedule, GKN Aerospace Services (GKNAS) recently delivered the two large winglets required for flight tests for the “Awiator”research programme. These have been fitted to an Airbus A340 aircraft.
Flight tests, to establish the dynamic response of the modified wing of the A340, took place throughout November and were completed by mid-December. The“Awiator” research programme aims to establish how to control and reduce drag, using large winglets, thereby causing reduction in fuel consumption– or increasing the range of the aircraft. It has been estimated that in a typical ultra-high capacity aircraft, a decrease in drag of only 1 percent would equate to a 120 km increase in range or a reduction in fuel requirement of 2.8 tonnes.
Working within the Awiator Consortium, GKNAS has been responsible for the design, development and subsequent manufacture of the winglets, each of which is much larger than the traditional winglets at 4m long x 2m wide. The Consortium comprises several Airbus companies alongside a number of other partners,including GKNAS. The research work is 50 percent funded by the European Union as part of its work towards two significant targets: to address environmental issues across Europe; and separately to increase European competitiveness in the aerospace sector. It is a Euro 80 million programme.
